Liverpool duo Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have returned to action following lengthy spells out through injury. 30-year-old Van Dijk suffered a knee injury that made him sit in the sideline for nine months, missing almost half of the 2020/21 English Premier League season.
Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez Returns to Training
Van Dijk had surgery on anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) damage after the injury he sustained during a game against Everton last October. For Gomez, the 24-year-old has also missed a couple of games. He missed eight months after suffering a knee injury in training with England in November.
Both players appeared second-half substitutes in Liverpool’s 4-3 friendly loss against Hertha Berlin in Austria. According to the head coach of Liverpool, he said: “It was a nice feeling.” He also said: “260-something days for Virgil and not much less for Joe. They didn’t play football, so it’s nice to have them back. It was the first step, really important.”
Van Dijk, also commenting on it, tweeted, saying: “285 days ago, I started on a journey back towards playing. It’s hard to express how I am feeling, but it’s important to me that I say I feel blessed to have had the support of so many incredible people.”
The Reds suffered a defensive crisis last season and finished third in the Premier League, conceding 42 goals from their 38 games, having won the previous campaign title. They have further friendlies to play against Bologna, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna, before starting the season against Norwich on 14 August.
